“He is not!” Judak shouted, growling as he attempted to pin his older brother. The two were only a few years apart, but Haem was much bigger than his little brother.
“Remember, size is only a piece of it,” I said calmly. “Use your speed against him.”
Judak would one day be a good fighter for his speed alone, and when he took my advice to heart, he finally got the upper hand, twisting his brother’s arm behind his back. Thankfully, Haem was good natured; after Judak released him, he only pushed him away with a smirk.
“That’s cheating. You got advice from Uttin.”
Judak stuck his tongue out. “You’re just jealous.”
I shook my head, ruffling Haem’s hair. If my guess was correct, Haem would follow in his father’s footsteps in creating the clothes. His nature didn’t suit fighting the way Judak’s did. He enjoyed wrestling when he was comfortable with his opponents but had no drive to come out on top. He would serve his clan in other ways.
My tribute watched it all with mild fascination, sticking close to the tent wall to stay out of the way. He wasn’t shy by any means, but he wasn’t interested in joining the wrestling either. And Judak wasn’t done. High on the win, he went after his brother again as soon as they caught their breath.
Kirn stepped around his sons like he’d done it countless times before, handing me a bundle of clothing. “Here. I made three sets since you said he was unused to the weather. How has he handled the river?”
“He refuses to go in,” I replied, offering the clothing to the tribute. He looked curious, taking the top-most item and holding it out. The little wrinkle of his nose said he didn’t prefer the style, but he didn’t argue about the added warmth, yanking off my winter tunic for the first time in days to try on his new clothing. He paid no mind to the others in the room, showing off miles of copper skin and lean muscle.
My eyes trailed over him, taking in the lack of scars. He had no calluses on his hands, and the few times I touched him, he was soft where I was not. I was beginning to worry that whatever life he’d had before was privileged to be able to achieve such softness. It could mean keeping him here might cause trouble for us in the future. I wished I could send word to Simon to have him return sooner. There were too many unanswered questions with this tribute.
“He’s a beauty,” Clarissa commented, forcing my gaze away from the curve of his ass as he dropped his pants to pull on the warmer ones Kirn had made him. It would do me no good to tempt myself by studying his naked form.
Kirn made a disgruntled sound, scowling at his bondmate. She rolled her eyes at him.
“I’m allowed to look when he’s stripping right in front of me. Besides, he only seems to have eyes for Uttin.”
That comment made my head jerk back to where the tribute was changing. Indeed, his eyes were locked on me, a scowl on his face when he realized he hadn’t had my attention. This tribute would be the death of me.
“He is not mine. Only under my care,” I corrected.
I had no time for a bondmate, even if he wasn’t a potential issue with Al Nuzem. And this one screamed trouble and still required the shackles most of the time to keep him near me. He’d tried to sneak out the night before during my first attempt to remove the shackles, only hours after I’d felt I could trust him enough to sleep without the annoying metal on my wrist. One could only hope the he’d learn eventually that every time he ran, the shackles would return. Only when he behaved would his wrists remain unshackled.
Clarissa hummed a sound that told me she didn’t believe my protests. I ignored her. It would do me no good to argue. “The clothing fits. You did well, brother.”
Kirn grunted in response, getting closer to my tribute to check the fit himself. But when he reached for the man, my tribute slapped his hand away and took a big step back, his expression turning into one of suspicion and a slight hint of fear I hadn’t seen since the first day he arrived. I moved to his side automatically, tugging at the clothing on him and raising my eyebrows.
“He is to check that it fits,” I explained, knowing he couldn’t understand my words but hoping my tone would soothe him. “To make sure they don’t fall off when you eventually attempt to run from me again.”
Clarissa snorted from behind me, but I ignored it, my whole focus on the tribute. He narrowed his eyes, studying my face, then pointed at me, saying the unfamiliar word that I was sure was an insult.
“I think he only wants you to touch him,” Clarissa called, amusement in her voice.
I shot her an exasperated look. “I do not know how to check the clothing.”
She just lifted a shoulder, unconcerned with our struggles. “You big barbarians all want us to trust our protectors. Why does it surprise you when the only person he trusts is you?”
I frowned at her, but before I could remind her that having protectors was only to keep them from running into dangerous areas and getting hurt, Kirn interjected, telling me, “Check the legwear. Is it loose?”
With a long sigh, I did as he instructed, tugging at the top to check. Of course, the tribute used this to his advantage, leaning into my touch and rubbing himself against me. I felt my lips twitch against a smirk, but I knew better than to give in to him. I would not let his flirting get the best of me.
Kirn walked me through what I needed to check, all while ignoring the tribute practically purring against my side. It was a good thing Haem and Judak had run off while the tribute was changing. They were too young to see such things. Finally, Kirn grunted his approval and nodded.
“It should be fine. Perhaps a little long in the sleeves, but if he is cold, having his hands covered isn’t the worst thing. You will do lessons with Judak soon, yes?”
I nodded, handing the tribute the rest of his new clothing. While Kirn often made new clothing for the tributes, what I asked of him was more elaborate than what he normally made. The tribute’s clothes were fur lined to keep him warm in such a vast temperature difference. In exchange for this, I offered to start training with Judak in fighting. Wrestling with his brother was a good start, but I could teach him more so that he was prepared once he truly began training.
Haem ran back in, breathless and rosy-cheeked from the chilled weather. “The trading company is back.”
Kirn made a pleased sound. “Hopefully they brought back what I requested.”
